1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of paper binding devices. More specifically the present invention relates to an apparatus for punching at least one hole and preferably three holes in a sheet such as of paper and attaching a reinforcing ring onto the sheet around the hole, both in the same action.
The apparatus includes a platform and preferably three hole punch rods extending forwardly from the platform in spaced linear relation to each other matching desired hole spacing, each hole punch rod having a sharp rod edge, several coil return springs mounted extending forwardly and perpendicularly from the platform, a sheet panel resting on the coil return springs generally parallel to the platform and having ring passing holes, each positioned to register with the longitudinal axis of a corresponding punch rod and sized to pass a reinforcing ring, a hole punch plate positioned generally parallel to, spaced forwardly from and connected to the sheet panel and having hole punching ports, each positioned to register with the longitudinal axis of a corresponding punch rod and each sized to pass a rod cutting end closely enough to cut a hole into a sheet placed between the rod cutting ends and the corresponding punching ports, and panel advancing means for pressing the sheet panel and connected hole punch plate toward the platform a sufficient distance to pass the rod cutting ends through a sheet and the corresponding punching ports and along the punch rods toward the platform a sufficient distance to cause the sheet to contact a reinforcing ring fitted around each punch rod.
The platform and the sheet panel both preferably have rectangular outer peripheries. At least one of the coil return springs preferably encircles a punch rod and is sized in diameter to leave an annular gap between the punch rod and the given coil return spring large enough to receive a stack of reinforcing rings fitted around the punch rod. The sheet panel and punch plate preferably are a single piece of material connected at their adjacent edges by a bent connecting segment of the panel. The platform and sheet panel preferably are wider and longer than the sheet to be hole punched, and several guide rods substantially parallel to the punch rods and mounted such as at platform corners preferably are provided at the periphery of the platform beyond where sheet edges would be which pass through close fitting guide holes in the sheet panel periphery and are each encircled by a coil return spring. The guide rods preferably have threaded guide rod forward ends so that sheet panel anchoring wing nuts can be screwed onto the guide rod forward ends to hold the sheet panel in place. The panel advancing means preferably includes a lever structure mounted on a hinge connected to the platform and extending over the punch plate.
A method of operating the apparatus is also provided, in which the user moves the sheet panel and hole punch plate away from the punch rods, places a stack of reinforcing rings having adhesive on their forward faces over and around each punch rod, moves the sheet panel and connected punch plate so that the ring passing holes and hole punching ports again register with the corresponding punch rod axes, places a sheet to be hole punched onto the sheet panel and over the ring passing holes, uses the panel advancing means to press the sheet panel and punch plate and sheet toward the platform until the punch rods push the sheet against the punch plate and pass into the punching ports to cut holes into the sheet and also push the sheet into contact with the adhesive of the forwardmost reinforcing ring in each stack so that the forwardmost reinforcing ring adheres to the sheet rearward face around a hole cut just a moment before, and releases the panel advancing means so that the coil return springs push the sheet panel away from the platform and thus move the sheet upwardly and away from the stacks of rings so that the top rings separate from their respective stacks and remain on the sheet rearward face around cut holes, and the punch rods pass out of the cut holes. Then the sheet is removed from the sheet panel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been hole punchers for punching holes along edges of pieces of paper such as to mount the paper in a ring binder. A problem with such punched holes has been that paper tends to tear easily at the punched holes and as a result can become dislodged from a binder. To solve this problem, adhesive reinforcing rings of durable paper, plastic or cardboard have been developed for individually placing on the paper by hand around the holes. A problem has been that such individual placement of these rings around each hole is laborious, time consuming and tedious.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a hole punching and reinforcing apparatus which automatically deposits a reinforcing ring onto a sheet such as of paper around each punch hole while the sheet is being hole punched.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which deposits the reinforcing rings onto the sheet around each hole simultaneously during the hole punching action.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is easy to use and which costs about the same as a conventional multiple hole puncher to manufacture.